Vibrator



. tion.

claims.'parts will be identified by specificV namesv Patented Nov. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT orFic-E VIBRATOR Y larence Huetten, Indianapolis, Ind., assigner to d P. R.. Mallory a: Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., a

corporation of Delaware Application Maren c, 1941, serial No. 382,000

(ci. zoo-165i 2 Claims.

co-operating electric contacts.

Other objects of the invention will be apparentA from the following description and accompanying drawing taken in connection with the appended claims.f l

Theinvention comprises the features of construction, combination of elements.' arrangement of parts. and methods of manufacture and operation referred to above or which will be brought out and exemplified in the disclosurehereinafter set forth, including the illustrationsv in the drawing. I

In the drawing: I

' Figure 1 is a side view'of an electromagnetically controlled vibratory contact mechanism embodying features of the present invention;

Figure r2 is a face view of the reed and contact arm assembly; and

Figures 3, 4, and 6 show details of the vibratorycontact operation under certain conditions.

This invention finds its principal application in electromagnetic vibratory interrupter devices or vibrators of the type shown and described in v, arms with a pivoted or flexible mounting portion upon which the contact is mounted.

While a preferred embodimentof the invention is described herein, it is contemplated that considerable variation may be'made in the method of procedure and the construction of parts without departing from the spirit of the inven- In the following description and in the for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art willvpermit.

Referring to the drawing, the vibrator mechanism of Figure 1 comprises an iron frame I2 bent into a hook shape and having an electromagn t winding III around the hook end. The vibratoi reed I3 and side contact arms 2U and 2| are clamped at their lower ends in 'a "stack" assemb ly II with interposed layers 24 of sheet insulation, the entire assembly being clamped or bolted to the end of frame I2.

The reed carries an armature 25 at its free end and has riveted to its opposite faces near its base a pair of diverging contact arms I4 and I'I carrying flat contact discs I8 and I9, respectively, at their outer ends. Side arms 20 and 2I carry contact discs 22 and 23, respectively, at their i ends inmating relation to contacts I8 and I9.

a I. M. Slater Patent #2,190,685 and H. J. Brown The structure so far described is generally similar to that shown in the above-mentioned Slater andv Brown patents. In manufacturing and assembling such vibrators it has been the practice to adjust the contactl arms to bring the mating contacts, as nearly as possible, into alignment when they are broughttogether during vibration of the reed by the electromagnet. However, even with the most careful adjustment there are often instances where imperfect alignment is obtained, resulting in a lower contacteiliciency, although the misalignment is so slight as to be difficult or impossible of detection at the time of assembly.

A more important factor in reducing contact ellciency,'however, is the tendency of one contact to rock upon the other due to the flexing of the contact support arms during the closed contact interval while the ree'd travels to the end of its swing and returns.

-According to the present invention both conand readily flexible connecting portions 30 at opposite edges of the contact arm. Portions 20, .being of much smaller crosssection than the main arm, are readily flexible and hence provide hinges or pivots about which the table portion I8 can rock under influence of comparatively small forces.

The effect of this construction upon contact operation is shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate one condition in which contact I8 rst engages contact 22 at their upper or outer edges. In Figure 3 the contacts `are shown at the instant when contact I8 first touches contact 22. As the swing of the reed continues, thereby building up the contact pressure the forces produced will rotate contact I8 and its supporting table I8 about the hinge or pivot regions 30 to bring the mating contacts I8 and 2.2 into augment as shown in Figure 4. The

contacts then remain in iiat face-to-face 'contact throughout the closed contact interval. It will be noted in Figure 4 that arm-I4 has bent slightly under the force of theswinging reed.- -Without the present construction thiswould cause the contacts to rock upon each other.

Figures 5 and 6 show the operation when the original misalignment is such as to bring the contacts into engagement rst at their inner or lower edges. Here likewise the forces produced cause rotation about regions 30 to bring the contacts into alignment as shown in Figure 6.

In vibrators of the prior art there was usually present a continual rocking action throughout the closed contact intervals due to the exing of the contact arms so that the 'point of engagement between mating contacts was continually changing during a closed contact interval. This condition has resultedin more rapid wear and electrical aging of the contacts than is necessary and has raised the average contact resistance.

y The present invention, by eliminating the rocking and advantages, has been described herein as carried outin specic embodiments thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereby but it is intended to cover the invention broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A contact arm assembly for a vibrator of the type wherein a pair of support arms are clamped at one end in substantially parallel relation and carry respectively opposed plane contacts at their free ends, said contacts bein`g brought into direct face-to-face contact by vibration of one of said arms, said assembly comprising a sheet metal arm, a sheet metal table support in substantially the same plane therewith, a substantially plane contact secured to the face of said table support, said arm being cut out to provide a pair of spaced parallel portions and a pair of integral ilexible connecting portions between said parallel'por- ML tions and opposite edges of said table support extends across the middle of the contact. This is the preferred location of the pivotal axis. It

is contemplated, however, that the axis may be moved up or down, by changing the shape of the armor aperture, and that contact alignment may still be obtained. However, it is preferredv that the axis shan be within the contact boundaries so as to be between the two points of possible application of force tending to rotate the contact' about the axis.

holding said support substantially parallel to said arm in the absence of external forces but permitting limited rotation of said support about a line through the body of said contact when said contact engages the opposed contact'and said opposed contact is not already in alignment therewith.

2. A contact arm assembly for a vibrator of the type wherein `a pair of support arms are clamped at one end in substantially parallel relation and carry respectively opposed plane contacts at ltheir free ends, said contacts being brought into direct face-to-face contact by vibration of one of said arms, said assembly comprising a sheet metal support arm and a substantially planefaced contact secured to a face thereof adjacent the 'free end of said arm, said support arm having an aperture therein between the clamped end thereof and said contact, said aperture extending around the sides of said contact and terminating at points on opposite sides ofl said contact and near the edges of said arm, said points defining a line passing through said contact body -about which said contact is hinged by the remaining material of said contact arm in the region of said line.

CLARENCE HUETI'EN. 

